A Young Woman's Heart

Chapter 176 Repairing Teeth

March 25th arrived as scheduled.

It had been two weeks since my last tooth extraction.

The weather today is neither good nor bad, with a slight, cool breeze blowing through the air from time to time.

The dandelion seeds were blown about everywhere, and occasionally some landed in Mo Xueyao's collar, like a mischievous spring maiden.

The thought of getting her teeth fixed made Mo Xueyao extremely nervous.

The 'buzzing' sound of an electric drill keeps echoing in my mind.

I felt my brain trembling.

She wished the journey to the dentist would be longer.

They even felt that it no longer needed repair.

Anyway, after having that small part of the loose tooth pulled, she didn't feel anything anymore.

But my mother insisted on repairing it, and part of it had been eaten away by insects, so we might really have to use a drill.

She walked cautiously into the private dental clinic and saw that there were many people coming to see the dentist, and the young doctor and his assistants seemed very busy.

"Hello, Dr. Yang, we've arrived," the mother said as she saw Dr. Yang exchanging tips on dental care with other patients.

"Oh, you're here." Dr. Yang immediately stood up. "Come on... um, your name is Mo Xueyao, right? Lie down inside first, I'll fill your tooth."

"Yes..." The tooth that I hadn't felt for two weeks suddenly started to ache again.

Mo Xueyao covered her cheek and walked into a private dental clinic, lying uneasily on the adjustable dental bed.

"Come on, open your mouth." Dr. Yang dragged over an instrument that was used as a flashlight, shone it on Mo Xueyao's face, and then slowly adjusted the angle.

"Ah—" Mo Xueyao closed her eyes and opened her small mouth wide.

"Open it a little wider."

"Ah..." Mo Xueyao felt that she had done her best.

Then she felt something cold, like a spoon, pressing against her mouth, making it harder to close. Then something long and hard was inserted into her mouth, with a metallic chill.

This made Mo Xueyao feel a little nauseous.

"Knock, knock, knock." Dr. Yang tapped on each tooth, seemingly checking for any other problematic teeth.

"Raise your hand if you feel pain."

"Mmm," Mo Xueyao mumbled in response. Her mouth had been open for so long that she felt saliva uncontrollably drooling. She tried to swallow some to avoid looking like a mentally challenged person drooling...

"Well, all the other teeth are fine, so let's start filling this one," Dr. Yang said, as if explaining to Mo Xueyao's mother who was standing to the side.

"It looks like she has some cavities here."

"Yes, it will be cleaned. It might hurt a little afterward. Raise your hand if you can't stand it." Dr. Yang took a small drill, which looked like a pen, from the sterilized instruments next to him and inserted it into Mo Xueyao's mouth.

"Zizi-"

The sound of the drill bit rang out.

Mo Xueyao's scalp tightened instantly, and she couldn't help but clutch the hem of her clothes with both hands.

Then, I first felt something drilling into my teeth, and then a sensation that was sour, numb, and painful went straight into my mind.

She suddenly remembered that they hadn't used anesthesia this time...

"Hmm!" She immediately raised her hand.

The pain she had just experienced made her feel like her brain was being drilled through.

"Okay, take a short break." Dr. Yang nodded, but less than half a minute later, he started drilling again.

This time, Mo Xueyao endured the pain; the pain in one tooth made her feel that all her teeth were aching.

Fortunately, the cleaning was finally finished, and then it was time to start getting my teeth fixed.

Something warm was applied to Mo Xueyao's teeth, repairing the broken part.

Then Dr. Yang stuffed something in: "Raise your hand if it's hot."

So, through Mo Xueyao's constant raising of her hand and pausing, the tooth was finally repaired.

Finally, he used something to polish the repaired part, making it smoother and no longer rough, and cut off the unnecessary parts.

"Phew..." Mo Xueyao sat up in bed with a relieved look on her face. Following Dr. Yang's instructions, she rinsed her mouth with water again.

"It's all better now. You can check how it feels with your tongue." Dr. Yang called over a young assistant. "Pack up your things and take them to be sterilized."

"Ok."

Mo Xueyao was sitting on the bed licking her repaired tooth, feeling very uncomfortable, as if there was a large piece of meat stuck in her tooth that she couldn't get out.

"I feel a little unwell."

What does it feel like?

"Something's been added."

"Haha, that's normal. After all, they've added an extra piece. You'll get used to it after a while," Dr. Yang chuckled. "Try not to eat anything too hard in the future, and brush your teeth more often, so you don't end up needing dentures at a young age."

"Yes!" She nodded vigorously, but as for how long she could hold on, only heaven knew.

Why can't human teeth fall out and be replaced frequently?

She looked up at the ceiling and muttered to herself.

But in any case, she doesn't want to see a dentist again, at least not for the next few years.

That toothache was so unbearable; even simple pain wasn't this bad.

That's enough to give you nightmares...

"Dr. Yang, how much will it cost this time?"

"It uses imported materials, and it only costs thirty yuan." Dr. Yang pointed to the nurse at the front desk. "You can pay there."

Mo Xueyao looked up and glanced at the price list with clearly marked prices.

It says--

"Tooth repair: 68 RMB/tooth using imported materials".

It seems that charging thirty yuan is a discounted price.

Thinking this, she looked up a few more times and found that even the cheapest stainless steel tooth would cost 280!

Obviously, unless someone is truly broke, it's unlikely that an average person would opt for stainless steel dental implants.

A single domestically produced artificial tooth costs 380 yuan.

The most expensive ones even reach 1800...!

Being a dentist is definitely a lucrative profession...

Mo Xueyao suddenly understood why her mother had wanted her to study medicine that day.

This is just a tooth, and even if we choose a moderate price, it will still cost an average person a month's salary without eating or drinking.

Moreover, this cannot be reimbursed by medical insurance.

In other words, you can only pay the amount you are required to pay.

Ideally, I'd never have to step into a dentist again in my life.

Mo Xueyao felt a bit of a toothache again.

This is a place where you burn through money!

After exchanging a few more polite words with Dr. Yang, the mother distributed the fruit she had brought to the many doctors and nurses there, and then left the dental clinic with Mo Xueyao.

"How are you feeling now?" the mother asked, holding up the empty fruit basket.

"It's alright, but I'm still not quite used to it." Mo Xueyao habitually licked her teeth, then quickly retracted her tongue to the correct position to avoid licking away the material that had just been added—although in reality, it was impossible to remove it so easily.

"From now on, brush your teeth properly, understand? You can't skip it, morning and night, and it's best to brush them again after lunch."

"Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"

"Exaggerated?" The mother sneered. "Hmph, you'll see when your teeth rot and you'll know it's not an exaggeration at all!"

"Tch." Mo Xueyao retorted instinctively to her mother, "So, according to you, does that mean we have to brush our teeth every time we eat?"

"That would be best."

"Then your teeth will only decay faster, because you'll brush away all the protective coating on your teeth."

"Fallacy."

“That’s not nonsense, it’s based on science!” Mo Xueyao started arguing with her mother again.

"Alright, alright, I'm uneducated, I can't argue with someone as educated as you." Her mother poked her forehead with a hint of sarcasm. "Come with me to the market to buy groceries."

"Oh, what are we having for lunch today?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm... Mapo tofu? It would be best to add some minced meat."

"Okay, I'll make it for you." Her mother ruffled Mo Xueyao's hair vigorously. "Look how good your mother is to you, don't you know what filial piety is?"

"Mom, you keep saying these things, and it makes me forget about being filial." Mo Xueyao pouted. "Don't you know that people can have a rebellious streak?"

"Nonsense. If you were truly filial, how could you possibly be resentful? It seems my daughter won't be filial to me in the future. Maybe Yan Yan will treat me better than you will."

"What are you talking about!" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes at her mother, annoyed. "I can't be bothered with you."

“Look at you, you get angry after just a few words. You’re not filial to your mother at all.”

"I'm not going to the market!" Mo Xueyao pouted and grumbled. "Go by yourself!"

"Sigh, the older they get, the less filial they become. When they were little, they would often help me carry things."

"Mom, are you never going to stop?" Mo Xueyao covered her head, groaning. "Stop nagging! Are you Tang Sanzang reciting the mantra for tightening the headband?"

Amidst the bickering and arguing between the mother and daughter, they entered the bustling vegetable market.